Totalizer



May 25, 1943. P. F. GROUT 2,320,275

TOTALIZER Filed Aug.. '7, 1941 WAII i x K J7 a if@ j, I AI l i Patented May 25, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT o FFI CE lZIOTALIZER Perley:F. Grout, Wakefield-Mass.

`ApplicationAugust 7, 1941, ,ScrialNo. 465,811

'3 Claims.

This invention relates tomechanism-for totalizing counts from-a pluralityfof mechanisms and .has vfor an object theproduction of Aa totalizer such `thateven thoughiwo o r more such mechanisms should countat the same instant, the totalizer will tally each `count individually as though the `I necha-nisms had been operated at different times.

AA further object is to simplify and improve such totalizing mechanism.

YFor a more complete understanding of this invention, togetherwithfurther objects and advantages, reference may be Vhad to Athe accompanying zdrawingin which ,Figurelis a somewhat.diagrammaticside elevation `of a .totalizer embodying the invention, and showing it .applied ,toonefspecic.use.

4FigureZis atop planviewcf a machinetoa larger scale.

Figure 3 is a `vertical ,transverse sectional view i online of Figure through one of .the reg-- isteringkunits.

ljigure liis a gfrasmntary, detail in perspective showingthe manner .in lwhich ,the ,register actuating elementsareremovedfromfthe vwheelaiter having k effected .a registering action.

Figureis anexploded perspective view show.- ing a ball retaining .spring andits mounting,

Referring to the drawinaat I is `indicateda shalt mounted for rotation in suitable bearings 2 and .3 in sideframe membersA Qutwardly of one of the bearings such as .2, ,the shaft I has fixed thereto means such as .a lbelt pulley V5 by which the shaft maybe rotated. This Shaft I is arrangedto operate apluralitvof endless conveyors. As shown o conveyor comprises .a wheel IIJ-having ape ipheral groove II therein. This yg-romfe 4I-I ishridged across at intervals ,by partitions i2 shown as slotted Vcentrrftlly as at this slot being of v'less wi'dththan the groove II so that the partitions define with the side walls of the groove l! a plurality of pockets around theperiphery of the wheel. sufliciently closed at their .ends where the partitions l2 are located to retain within them counter actuating ele- Cil) the number of individual counting mechanisms which are -to ,be totalized bythe rmechanism -of this invention. :'Wherethree arefernployed, ithree countingmechanisms can be ,totalized The Yball elem-ents vI4 are arranged to be storedinachannel 320 leading of ,-from the groove I-I of the corresponding conveyor Awheel above `the horizontal plane of .its axis, this channel 20 lbeing continued as a hole '2| within the casing VIE- which acts asa reservoir vto vreceive a number ofthe balls I4. vThis-number should be atleast .aslarge asthe numberof pockets in the corre.- spondingwheeL The lower endof the perforationlZI opens into aslotl22 withinwhich `is .slidable a flat valve 23. This valve 23 hasahole 24 therethrough and the thickness `of `the valve .23 is sochosen that this hole 2.4 provides a cavity within which a single ball Ill-,may ride. This valve 23 is movable-between a position where the lowerend otheperforation v2| is ,closedci as shown in .Figure 3, to an outer position-where a ball from the perforation 2l may drop intothehole 24 and then by pushing the ,valve 23 inwardly intothe position shown in Figure ,3, this opening 24 ,is positioned abovea ,passage `2,5 which ,permits the .ball -so engaged ,bythe valve 2,3,to drop out ofthe hole 24and passthrough thepassage 2,5, into oneoi the pockets of Vthe Vwheel Il) which happens to be presented ,thereto at the time theball reaches the peripheryof the wheel Il. It will benoted, howeventhaton actuation yof the ,valve Y22 inwardly, but one vloall vis transferred from the reservoir to the passage v25 .to pass into one oi thepockets of, the wheel I3. The returnor outer stroke of the valve 23 is idleandservesto again position the hole 24 in the valve beneath the reservoir 2l so that Aa single ball may pass thereinto.

AIn order to prevent 4the ,possibility of a ball becoming ljammed between lone of the partitions I2 Aand the inner lower edge of the corresponding ball discharge passage 25, which would result in vstopping the machine or cause damage thereto, or both, each passage 25 is provided with a yieldable lower wall member comprising a leaf spring 250. The lower end 25| of this spring is positioned adjacent to the wheel groove II. This spring has a widened upper portion adapted to engage flat against the back inclined Wall 252 of the passage 25 (see Figures 3 and 5) and between its side Walls' 253, and it is held clamped against thisback wall 252 by a block `2'54 constituting the upper `and outer -wall of the passage Y25 and having `spaced web members 255,

the upper portions of which press against the edge portions of the upper widened end of the spring 250 and the lower portions of which lie along side ledges 256 of the more sharply inclined lower portion 251 of the passage 25. The block 254 may be secured in position by screws 258 engaging in threaded holes 259 in the adjacent face of the casing element I6. The free lower end of the spring 250 directs a ball dropping through the passage 25 into the wheel groove I I and should the ball be caught between it and the following partition I2, as the wheel rotates, the spring end yields downwardly, a1- lowing the partition to pass so that the ball may fall into the wheel pocket behind it.

The casing I6, as before noted, closes off the outer face of the wheel I for the greater part of its periphery and thus acts to close off the outer face of the groove II for the greater por- Y tion of its circumference, thus to retain a ball fed into the passage by the valve While the pocket is passing around the greater portion of the circumference of the wheel. At one position, herein shown as toward the back of the machine, where the pockets are being lifted as the wheel I0 is rotated in the direction of the varrow a, the casing I6 is provided with a slot 29 therethrough within which rides the peripheral portion of a toothed wheel 26 carried by a countershaft 21. This countershaft 21 carries a toothed wheel 26 for each of the conveyor wheels IU, and it leads into a counting device 28 of any usual or convenient type by which the number of step by step rotary motions of the shaft 21 exerted by a ball I4 passing around with any of the conveyor wheels I 0, is registered. In order to insure a uniform amount of rotation of the shaft 21 at each actuation, a spring detent 260 having a free curved end 26| bearing against the periphery of the adjacent wheel 26 is secured at its outer end to one of the casing elements I6.

It will be noted by inspection of Figure 2 that the partitions I2 cf the several counter wheels are out of alinement axially lengthwise of the shaft I, while the counter star wheels 26 are in axial alinement. It thus follows that only one ball I4 is effective to turn the shaft 21 at any one time, since no matter when a counter ball is released from its reservoir to pass into one of the pockets, it is effective to turn the shaft 21 only when the lower partition I2 of such pocket is so positioned angularly as to press a ball contained in that pocket past the corresponding star wheel 26. Thus whenever a ball is released from the reservoir in any of the plurality of conveyors, this ball is effective to register on the totalizer counter 28, but only when it has been carried around by its conveyor to a position where it can actuate onev of the star wheels 26.

After having acted upon the star wheel, it is necessary to remove the counter ball. I4 from the wheel, otherwise it would have a counting action during each rotation of the conveyor wheel I0. For this purpose a spring ejector finger 30 has been provided, this finger beingY sufficiently narrow Vto ride through the slots I3 of the partitions l2 and to have its free upper end riding in a centrai deepened portion 3l of the base of the peripheral groove II such as to cause the ball I 4 within any of the pockets to roll outwardly on the upper face of the finger 30 out of the pocket and follow down this upper face into the reservoir 20 whereit is in position to 'be used again as one of the'counter actuating elements. As

shown, for convenience, the casing I5 is made in upper and lower parts which are joined together by the screws 32 and 33 at their ends and are secured thereby to cross frame members 34 and 35, respectively, of the machine.

Each of the valves 23 is arranged to be actuated by a counting impulse and as shown these counting impulses are presented to the machine as electrical impulses. Each of the valves 23, therefore, is shown as having pivoted to its outer end the upper arm 36 of a bell crank lever 31 which may be fulcrumed as at 38 to a part 39 secured to the machine frame. Each of these bell crank levers 31 is provided with a horizontal arm 40 to which is secured a core 4I of a solenoid 42. Whenever the solenoid is energized the core 4I is drawn downwardly thus rocking the bell crank lever 31 and pulling the corresponding valve 23 outwardly into position to receive a ball I4 from the reservoir 2I into the valve opening 24. When this impulse is released, a spring 43 secured to the arm 36 of the bell crank lever and to a fixed point on the machine frame returns the valve to the position shown in Figure 3, thus releasing the ball taken by the valve 23, for discharge through the passage 25 and into one of the wheel pockets. As the shaft I continues to rotate, this ball so released passes around with its wheel In and effects a counting motion of the shaft 21 and is thereafterremoved from the pocket by the finger 3U and returned to the reservoir. Thus while the action of the totalizer in registering is somewhat later than the actuation of its valve 23, such totalizing action does take place and even though two or more of the solenoids 42 may be energized and released simultaneously to release counting balls for a counting action, Athese balls act at different times on their respective star wheels so that each is effective to give a counting indication to the totalizing counter 28.

In Figure 1 there is shown somewhat diagrammatically the application of this totalizer to a plurality of newspaper counting mechanisms such as is shown in my Patent No. 2,208,270

`granted July 16, 1940. These newspaper counting mechanisms are applied to the three newspaper conveyors 50 by which an electric switch 53 is closed periodically during operation of the corresponding conveyor, except at such times when papers are omitted from the conveyor, whereupon any one of a plurality of feeler ngers 5I normally engaging the papers open a switch 52 in series with the counter switch 53 for the respective conveyor. Each of these counter switches 53 is connected up in series with a switch 52V to one of the solenoids 42, so that whenever a counting impulse foreach of the conveyors is made, it sets in motion the train of mechanism which are effective to actuate the totalizer counter 28. While this specific application of the invention has been illustrated herein, it will of course be understood that the use of the totalizer is not limited to any particular mechanism or type of mechanism.

It will be noted that for each of the sources of counting impulses which are to be totalized there is a separate unit comprising a wheel l0, its casing I6 and parts carried thereby, and a star wheel 26. It is therefore a simple matter to add or remove units corresponding to variations in the number of sources from which impulses are to be totalized. For example, suppose that a printing establishment originally having three presses and with a totalizer having three wheel units for totalizing the output therefrom finds its advisable to add two more presses. It is then only necessary to associate two more totalizing units driven by the same shaft and to add two more star wheels to the shaft 21 or to an extension thereof, each of these additional totalizers being connected up with the two additional presses and care being taken only that the angularity of all of the conveyor wheels ID to the drive shaft shall be adjusted so that their partitions l2 are all out of alinement axially so that the shaft 21 is turned by only one of the balls released in the various units at a single time.

From the foregoing description of an embodiment of this invention, it should be evident to those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications might be made without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A totalizer comprising a shaft, a plurality of wheels carried by said shaft, each of said wheels having a peripheral groove, slotted partitions arranged at intervals across said grooves and deiining therewith a plurality of pockets, the partitionsv of the several wheels being out of alinement lengthwise of said shaft, casing means closing oif the outer faces of said grooves and having a channel leading from the periphery of each wheel above its axis and a channel leading to said periphery below said first mentioned channel, said first mentioned channel constituting a ballreceiving reservoir, a valve movable to take a ball from said first-mentioned channel and deliver said ball to the other of said channels to pass therefrom into one of said wheel pockets, a second shaft, a star wheel for each of said pocket wheels fixed to said second shaft and positioned to be struck by a ball in any of the pockets of the corresponding wheel to thereby turn said second shaft, a counter actuated by the turning of said second shaft, a guide finger projecting into each of said grooves and in line with the slots of said partitions and between said star wheels and channels and positioned to guide the balls from said groove andr conduct them into their respective first-mentioned channels, means for rotating said wheel carrying shaft, and means individual to each valve for actuating said valves.

2. A totalizer comprising a shaft, a plurality of wheels carried by said shaft, each of said wheels having a peripheral groove, slotted partitions arranged at intervals across said grooves and defining therewith a plurality of pockets, the partitions of the several wheels being out of alinement lengthwise of said shaft, casing means Cil closing off the outer faces of said grooves and having a channel leading from the periphery of each wheel above its axis and a channel leading to said periphery below said first mentioned channel, said iirst mentioned channel constituting a ball-receiving reservoir, a valve movable to take a ball from said first-mentioned channel and deliver said ball to the other of said channels to pass therefrom into one of said wheel pockets a second shaft, a star wheel for each of said pocket wheels fixed to said second shaft and positioned to be struck by a ball in any of the pockets of the corresponding wheel to thereby turn said second shaft, a counter actuated by the turning of said second shaft, a guide finger projecting into each of said grooves and in line with the slots of said partitions and between said star wheels and channels and positioned to guide the balls from said groove and conduct them into their respective first-mentioned channels, means for rotating said wheel carrying shaft, and an electrically actuated tripping device for actuating each of said valves.

3. A totalizer comprising a shaft, a plurality of wheels carried by said shaft, each of said wheels having a peripheral groove', slotted partitions arranged at intervals across said grooves and defining therewith a plurality of pockets, the partitions of the several wheels being out of alinement lengthwise of said shaft, casing means closing off the outer faces of said grooves and having a channel leading from the periphery of each wheel above its axis and a channel leading to said periphery below said first mentioned channel, said rst mentioned channel constituting a ball-receiving reservoir, a valve movable to take a ball from said first-mentioned channel and deliver said ball to the other of said channels to pass therefrom into one of said wheel pockets, said other channel having a yieldable lower wall portion to prevent jamming of a ball between it and one of said partitions, a second shaft, a star wheel for each of said pocket wheels fixed to said second shaft and positioned to be struck by a ball in any of the pockets of the corresponding wheel to thereby turn said second shaft, a counter actuated by the turning of said second shaft, a guide finger projecting into each of said grooves and in line with the slots of said partitions and between said star wheels and channels and positioned to guide the balls from said groove and conduct them into their respective firstmentioned channels, means for rotating said wheel carrying shaft, and means individual to each valve for actuating said valves.

PERLEY F. GROUT. 

